UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is going into UFC 225 with some questions.
It’s well known that the UFC champ will fight #1 contender Yoel Romero at this upcoming UFC pay-per-view event.
Whittaker won the interim title when he beat Romero back at UFC 213 in July. Then the promotion made him the champion after Georges St-Pierre vacated the strap due to a medical condition in December after beating Michael Bisping at UFC 217 to win it.
As a result of Whittaker dealing with a staph infection in his stomach and did not receive proper treatment, he was forced to withdraw from his first title defense against Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.
With Romero picking up the win over Rockhold, he is the clear #1 contender for the title.
Whittaker has some concerns about Romero’s mindset heading into their rematch due to Romero missing weight in his last fight.
“Just sounds to me that he’s quit,” Whittaker told Submission Radio (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting). “I don’t think you can go into a fight with the thoughts of retirement beforehand. I think, when the time comes for me to retire personally — and this is just a personal opinion, he’s neither right nor wrong — but in my opinion, when I feel, as soon as I feel that I’ve reached the end of my road and I’ve had enough of fighting, that’s it, I’m done. I’m calling UFC next day and telling my coaches I’m done. Because you can’t go into a fight knowing you’re going to hang up the boots so to speak after it.”
“Nah, no way. Like, why would you?” Whittaker said, when asked if he would have fought Romero under the same circumstances. “I don’t understand anyone who takes fights when their opponent doesn’t make weight. It’s like, if you rock up at 87 kilos, which is what Romero did — It was like 86 kilos or something like that — then why don’t I rock up at 95? What’s the difference?”
UFC 225 is set to take place on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.
“I think it will be the exact same fight,” Whittaker said. “Yoel can’t fight me any other way. The only thing that will be different is that I’ll be better. Doing my MCL four weeks before the fight obviously affected me, affected my training and affected my cardio. So yeah, I’m gonna be fitter and I’m not gonna have a bum knee. I’m gonna have, like you said, I felt him out, so I’m gonna work on certain things that I know is going to stump him.
“I don’t think he’s at a point where he can make drastic changes. I don’t think he can change anything that will really make an impact for this next fight. But that’s all my speculation, so who knows?”
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